Boston College Athletics
Alumni Spotlight: Bob Sweeney '86
September 11, 2014 | Men's Hockey
By Reid Oslin
The tragedy of the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001 was a blindside hit harder than anything former Boston College hockey star Bob Sweeney '86 had ever endured in his starry collegiate career or in his 10-plus seasons in the National Hockey League.
Sweeney's sister-in-law, Madeline "Amy" Sweeney, was a flight attendant on American Airlines Flight 11 that fateful day. It was the plane that was flown into the North Tower of New York's World Trade Center by a band of suicide-bent terrorists. She died while making a hushed telephone call to airline authorizes on the ground, describing the thuggish hijackers and their heinous actions, and in doing so providing the FBI with key information that would launch the federal investigation into the terrorist acts that stunned America.
Amy Sweeney, who was 35 when she died, was married to Bob's brother Mike. She was the mother of two small children - ages four and six - and Bob Sweeney knew he had to do something for her and for all of the other Massachusetts families who suffered the loss of loved ones during the attack.
After retiring from his long NHL career that saw him on the rosters of the Boston Bruins, Buffalo Sabres, New York Islanders and Calgary Flames, plus four additional seasons in the German Professional League, Bob Sweeney had kept his hand in the game by playing for the Boston Bruins Alumni squad, a group of former pro players who participated in charity events across New England. When Bruins' Hall of Famer Johnny Bucyk stepped down as the Alumni director, Sweeney took over in a part-time capacity. A marketing major at BC, Sweeney was quick to learn the mechanics of fundraising events and was the successful honcho of the popular retired players' program.
When Amy Sweeney died on 9/11, Bob redirected his new skills to events providing support to his brother's family and many other families in the region who shared a similar loss.
"When I lost my sister-in-law on 9/11, it really hit me," he said. "It really woke me up. I began fundraising in her memory and I realized that I had the time and resources to help out other families in Massachusetts that were also affected."
His efforts were successful. Today, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts presents the annual "Madeline `Amy' Sweeney Award for Civilian Bravery" to a Bay State resident who has displayed extraordinary courage in defending or saving the lives of others.
In 2007, Bob Sweeney was named executive director of the Boston Bruins Foundation, an organization sponsored by the NHL team to assist charitable groups that have demonstrated a commitment to enhancing the quality of lives of children throughout New England. The foundation sponsors a variety of fund-raising events throughout the year, including celebrity golf tournaments, Boston Marathon and Pan-Mass Challenge teams, the "Best Buddies" event and other special activities that support charitable organizations involved with academics, athletic, community outreach and health endeavors benefitting the region's youngsters.
Bob Sweeney had a stand-out career as a scorer for the Eagles - he scored 152 points (78 goals, 74 assists) in 138 career games and received All-Hockey East and All-America recognition along the way.
Sweeney also holds the distinction of scoring the final goal in McHugh Forum, the Eagle's venerable old rink. His tally capped a 7-1 victory over Maine on Feb. 23, 1986, bringing down the curtain on BC's old rink and launching that year's Eagle team into the NCAA Tournament.
Drafted by the Bruins in 1982, he signed with the local NHL team after graduation and spent his first year of professional hockey shuttling back and forth between the club's AHL affiliate in Moncton, Nova Scotia, and the old Boston Garden on Causeway Street.
"For a local kid [Acton-Boxborough High School] to play for the home town team was quite a thrill," he said.
After six years in the Black and Gold, Sweeney moved on to Buffalo, where he helped the Sabres oust the Bruins from the Stanley Cup playoffs.
"That was bittersweet," he noted.
"But even if you get to play 10 years in the NHL like I did, you realize that someday you have to `go to work,'" he said. "It was special to me to have gone to a great university like Boston College. I was able to get a great education and also develop as a hockey player.
"Your values grow as you get older," Sweeney said. "BC was a great starting point for me."
